Drawer and spacer plate combination



May 112, 136 e. c. BAlNARD 2v@4595 DRAWER AND SPACER PLATE COMBINATION Filed Aug. 1, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l May 12 @360 e. c. BRAINARD DRAWER AND SPACER PLATE COMBINATION Filed Aug. 1, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a w alsm Patented May 12, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRAWER AND SPACER PLATE COMBINATION George 0. Brainard, Youngstown, Ohio, assignor to The General Fireproofing Company,

12 Claims.

This invention relates to filing cabinet accessories, and has particular reference to improvements in means for mounting spacer plates at selected locations within the drawers of such cabinets to divide the drawers into separate filing spaces or compartments.

One general object of the invention is to provide means of very simple, low cost, easily releasable nature for effectively holding a spacer .plate in any one of a number of selective locations along the length of a drawer, so that the plate ma readily be shifted from one location to another and will be held securely in any selected location in which it may be placed.

Another general object of the invention is to provide a simple, easily releasable spacer plate holding means which permits the plate to be rocked forwardly and rearwardly, and to provide, in combination with said holding means, stop means to limit rearward rocking movement of the plate, and spring means tending constantly to rock the plate to its rearward limit of movement as determined by said stop means, so that the plate tends constantly to exert clamping pressure against cards, letters or the like stacked 'therebehind, but may be swung forwardly to afford free access to the cards, letters or the like, and when released resumes its rearwardly rocked card or letter clamping position.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will become more fully apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the different views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a filing cabinet drawer, partly in longitudinal section along the line I--| of Fig. 2, showing a spacer plate and mounting means therefor constructed in accordance with one practical embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line 22 of Fig. 1,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the drawer and the spacer plate; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the spacer plate.

Referring to the drawings in detail, D designates, generally, a filing cabinet or equivalent drawer which is of a known commercial construction, but which may be of any other detailed construction, and which has as its only requirement, insofar as concerns the present invention in its specific aspects, that the bottom It! thereof be provided with two longitudinally extending rows of transverse slots ll disposed, preferably, one row to either side of the central, vertical, longitudinal plane of the drawer, with the slots of the respective rows spaced any desired distances apart and alined transversely of the drawer.

Designated generally as P is one of the present spacer plates, of which any desired number may be employed in any given drawer to divide the same into any desired number of filing or storage spaces or compartments. This plate preferably is of generally rectangular shape and corresponds approximately in length and height to the width and depth of the drawer in which it is to be used by being mounted transversely therein. 20

On the plate P, near the bottom and at either the front or the rear side thereof, preferably at the rear side thereof, is pivotally mounted a pair of latches l3, one to either side of the middle of the plate, for cooperation, respectively, with the rows of slots II in the drawer bottom l0. Also mounted on the plate P and projecting below the lower edge thereof, preferably at a normal forward and downward inclination relative to the plate, are preferably two leaf spring fingers I4 located, preferably, one near each end of the plate, to engage the drawer bottom It] and thus yieldably support the plate.

Each latch I3 is of generally segmental shape and is pivoted to the plate P, as at l5, outwardly of its center of gravity, whereby it tends constantly to swing downwardly and outwardly to a position in which it is stopped by a nose I 6 on the latch engaging a stop or abutment I! on the plate, the said stop or abutment I! preferably being in the form of a reinforcing and stiffening rib pressed rearwardly from the plate P which preferably is formed from sheet metal. Also, each latch is provided with a suitable handle or other formation l8 for finger engagement to effect its upward and inward swinging movement, and, in addition, is provided at its bottom,

which is disposed below the lower edge of the plate P, with an outwardly directed nib or tongue l9.

The lower portions of the latches l3 are so formed, and the latches are so spaced apart, that when the latches are swung upwardly and inwardly to predetermined positions as determined, for example, by engagement of the handle formations I8 with the rib II, the said lower portions of the latches are free to enter a selected pair of the slots II with which they may be alined, by downward movement of the plate, and are free to be withdrawn from said slots by upward movement of the plate. On the other hand, the relative disposition of the latches and the form of their lower portions is such that if the latches are released from their upwardly and inwardly swung positions after their lower portions have, by downward movement of the plate, been engaged in a selected pair of the slots II, their consequent downward and outward swinging movement will result in the nibs or tongues I9 assuming positions underlying the drawer bottom at the outer ends of the slots II, as shown in Fig. 2, and thereby will hold the spacer plate effectively attached to the drawer bottom against being lifted therefrom until the latches are manually swung upwardly and inwardly sufiiciently to withdraw the nibs or tongues I9 from beneath the drawer bottom into the slots II. In this connection it is pointed out that the spring fingers I4 extend below the lower edge of the plate P by amounts such that, in order to engage the nibs or fingers I9 of the latches I3 beneath the drawer bottom, it is necessary to move thespacer plate so far downwardly as to depress said spring fingers. Consequently, when the spacer plate is operatively engaged with the drawer bottom as described, and as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the spring fingers are energized and by their constant tendency to elevate the spacer plate, serve to maintain the nibs or tongues I9 engaged with the underside of the drawer bottom and to take up any looseness or play between the drawer and the spacer plate.

The width of the slots II is slightly greater.

than the thickness of the lower portions of the latches I3 so that when the spacer plate is operatively mounted in the drawer it is free to be rocked forwardly and rearwardly about the points of contact of the nibs or tongues I9 with the drawer bottom. In this connection the spring fingers. I4 preferably extend, as aforesaid, forwardly relative to the spacer plate. Therefore, the constant tendency of the spring fingers is to rock or swing the spacer plate rearwardly to a preferably rearwardly and upwardly inclined positionin which suitable projections 20 extending outwardly from the top of the spacer plate at the ends thereof engage the upper edges of the. drawer sides and thereby determine the limit of rearward rocking or swingingmovement of the plate. by thespring fingers I4. From its normally rearwardly inclined position the plate obviously may be swung forwardly to afford free access to cards, letters or the like located therebehind, and when. released it is returned to its rearwardly inclined position in clamping, holding relationship to the cards or letters.

Assuming. that the spacer plate is operatively mounted at a given location within the drawer and. that it is desired to shift said plate to some location farther forwardly or rearwardly, the operator simply rocks the plate forwardly, pulls upwardly onthe adjacent handles I8 of the latches to effect retraction of the nibs or tongues I9 from beneath the drawer bottom, lifts the plateuntilthe lower portions of the latches are withdrawn from the slots H, moves the plate forwardly or rearwardly until the latches aline with a pair of the slots II when the plate is in its desired new location, presses downwardly upon the plate to enter the lower portions of the latches in the slots and releases the latches which then swing downwardly and outwardly and anchor the plate in its new location in the manner previously described.

The top portion of the plate P preferably is reinforced and finished by turning the same upon itself as indicated at 2|, and in performing this operation pads 22 of felt or other suitable ma- 7 terial preferably are clamped between the double thickness portions of the plate constituting the projections 20 for noiseless, non-scarring contact with the upper edges of the drawer sides.

While only a single, specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is apparent that the inventive idea may be embodied in various other specifically different mechanical constructions, all within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

1. In combination, a drawer having a bottom provided with slots spaced longitudinally along. the drawer, a spacer plate, and a pair of pivoted latches carried by said spacer plate to be inserted into said slots and swingable in opposite directions to engage with the underside of the drawer bottom to releasably secure the spacer plate in a selected position within the drawer.

2. In combination, a drawer having a bottom provided with slots spaced longitudinally along the drawer, a spacer plate, and latches pivoted to the spacer plate for swinging movement between raised and lowered positions, said latches when raised being freely insertable into and removable from selected slots by vertical movements of the plate, and formations on said latches to engage beneath the drawer bottom when the lower portions of the latches are inserted into selected slots and the latches are swung to their lowered positions, thereby to releasably secure the spacer plate within the drawer.

3. In combination, a drawer having a bottom provided with slots spaced longitudinally therealong, a spacer plate, a pair of latches pivoted to the spacer plate and swingable between raised and lowered positions, said latches when raised being freely insertable into and removable from said slots by downward and upward movements of the plate, respectively, nibs on said latches to engage beneath the drawer bottom adjacent to the ends of the slots when the latches are disposed in the slots and in their lowered positions, and springs carried by the spacer plate for engagement with the drawer bottom so as to be energized to tend constantly to elevate the spacer plate when the spacer plate is moved downwardly to a position in which the latches secure the plate to the drawer bottom.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 3 in which the latches are so pivoted that they swing by gravity to their lowered positions.

5. In combination, a drawer having a bottom provided with two longitudinally extending rows of transversely extending slots spaced longitudinally of the drawer, a spacer plate, a pair of latches pivoted to the spacer plate and swingable between raised and lowered positions, said latches being spaced so that when they are raised they are freely insertable into and removable from a selected pair of slots of the respective rows by downward and upward movements of the plate, respectively, nibs on said latches engageable beneath the drawer bottom when the plate is disposed with the latches engaged in a selected pair of the slots and the latches are in their lowered positions, thereby to releasably secure the plate to the drawer bottom, and spring means carried by the plate for engagement with the drawer bottom to be compressed by downward movement of the plate to its latch secured position, thereby to tend constantly to elevate the plate.

6. In combination, a drawer having a bottom, a spacer plate, movable means carried by the rear face of the plate releasably to secure the same to the drawer bottom at different points spaced longitudinally along the drawer for forward and rearward rocking movement, and spring means also carried by the rear face of the plate and extending forwardly of the front face thereof to engage the drawer bottom and thereby tend constantly to rock the spacer plate rearwardly and also to cause said first named means to yieldably engage the drawer.

7. In combination, a drawer having a bottom provided with an opening, an insertable and removable spacer plate for the drawer, means carried by the plate for passing through said opening and engaging the under side of the drawer bottom to secure the plate to said drawer bottom for forward and rearward rocking movement, and spring means also carried by the plate and rendered effective by downward movement thereof to a position in which it is secured to the drawer bottom to render said first named means effective and also to rock the spacer plate rearwardly.

8. In combination, a drawer having a bottom provided with an opening, an insertable and re movable spacer plate for the drawer, means carried by the plate for passing through said opening and engaging the under side of the drawer bottom to secure the plate to said drawer bottom for forward and rearward rocking movement, spring means also carried by the plate and rendered effective by downward movement thereof to a position in which it is secured to the drawer bottom to render said first named means effective and also to rock the spacer plate rearwardly, and stop means for limiting rearward rocking movement of the plate by said spring means.

9. In combination, a drawer having a bottom provided with slots spaced longitudinally therealong, a, spacer plate, means carried by the spacer plate and adapted to pass through selected slots in said bottom to engage the under side thereof and thereby position the plate within the drawer, and spring fingers carried by the spacer plate and extending forwardly and downwardly relative thereto into engagement with the drawer bottom, whereby they tend to constantly rock the plate rearwardly and also render said means effective to secure the plate within the drawer.

10. In combination, a drawer having a bottom element provided with a plurality of openings spaced longitudinally thereof, a spacer plate adapted to be selectively positioned at any of said openings, swingable latch means carried by said plate for entering said openings to engage the under side of the bottom element at the openings, and spring means carried by the plate for engaging the upper side of the bottom element to yieldingly hold said latch means in locked position.

11. In combination, a drawer" having a bottom element provided with a plurality of openings spaced longitudinally thereof, a spacer plate adapted to be selectively positioned at any of said openings, swingable latch means carried by said plate for entering said openings to engage the under side of the bottom element at the openings, means for limiting the swinging movement of said latch means, and spring means carried by the plate for engaging the upper side of the bottom element yieldingly to hold said latch means in locked position.

12. In combination, a drawer having a bottom provided with a series of longitudinally spaced slots substantially in the medial portion thereof, a plate adapted to be positioned selectively at the location of any of said slots, latch means supported for limited movement on the plate, and medially thereof, for insertion and removal in said slots, and spring means carried by the ends of the plate for engaging the upper side of the drawer bottom yieldingly to force the first named means into gripping engagement with the bottom of the drawer at the location of the slots.

GEO. C. BRAINARD. 

